When you’re planning a new blog post, one of the simplest hacks you can do to increase its chances of ranking is to get creative with keyword modifiers.
What are keyword modifiers?
You take a standard, high-volume keyword – let’s say Best iPhone for now.
Normally, it would be impossible for a new blog to rank for this.
You’re up against sites like TechRadar, Tom’s Guide. Behemoths of the industry, basically.
Your brand new blog, regardless of how good your post is, simply will not rank.
A site with zero authority and zero backlinks is never going to beat a DA90 site.
But with some selective keyword modifiers, you can rank for modified versions of huge keywords.
And this is done by taking the keyword – Best iPhone, in this example – and adding a modifier on the end.
You can even use Google to pull in suggestions for your modified keyword; just start typing in the search box and Google will show you what people are already searching for.
You cannot rank for Best iPhone but you could potentially rank for Best iPhone For Someone With Small Hands.
That keyword features the core keyword plus a very specific modifier at the end.
Yes, it will have far less volume than Best iPhone.
But it is very specific and this means, providing you can put together a good post, you stand a good chance of not only ranking but also converting the user.
This is one of the simplest longtail keyword hacks you can use to quickly build up new and engaged traffic to your blog.
I use these types of keywords to build out super powerful content silos (or, clusters, as they’re also known)
You do not need backlinks in most cases because these keywords are less competitive and are not targeted by big blogs.
For a new blogger, getting creative with keyword modifiers is one of the best hacks you can use to quickly scale your new blog.
The 8 Best Keyword Modifiers You Can Use Today
#1) Should
I love informational keywords that are also transactional. I love them because they provide information that helps but they also convert brilliantly.
You provide information, a solution, or an explanation of how something works, add in an affiliate link, and, boom, you’re making commissions.
With the keyword modifier “should”, you have A LOT of potential options.
- Should I Buy A 4K TV?
- Should I Get A VPN?
- Should I Start My Own Blog?
- Should I Start A Dropshipping Business?
As you can see, these are just a few basic examples of how this keyword modifier works.
You can get creative with it, but the beauty of this hack is that nearly all combinations you will come up with will be both informational AND transactional.
#2) Worth It
The keyword modifier “worth it” is another great method for making a hugely competitive keyword more approachable.
I came across this keyword modifier by accident years ago when some of my articles that used it in the title tag were ranking really well.
I did some digging and realized that “worth it” is something that a lot of people use when researching whether or not they should be a product and/or service.
Example: Are Rayban Sunglasses Worth It?
And you can pretty much use this keyword modifier on ANY keyword you like. Even super competitive ones that you normally wouldn’t be able to rank for.
#3) Alternative
This one is really simple: take a popular product, say, Apple’s Apple Watch, and use the keyword modifier to create a post about The Best Apple Watch Alternatives.
The keyword modifier “alternative” is now becoming pretty popular, even with bigger blogs, but in the right niche and when used correctly it can work really well.
#4) Legit
Ah, millennials! They have slang terms like “legit” and you can use them to boost your traffic and conversions.
Similar to the “worth it” modifier, you can stick “legit” on the end of pretty much anything and get it ranking faster.
For instance, you could do a post like Is The BMW M5 Legit? Or, Is The iPhone 12 Pro Max Legit? Or, is Republic Wireless Legit?
#5) Numbers
This is an old keyword hack, but it is still worth doing. If you use numbers in your titles, you will get a better click-through rate in SERP.
And if you get high clickthrough rates, Google will reward you with higher rankings.
When you use numbers, you can use the year, so, 2021, or things like The #1 Best or The 10 Best X, Y & Z For [Insert Hobby or Interest]
I try to use numbers as often as I can in my posts. As I said earlier, this isn’t a new hack but it is one that has been used by internet marketers for decades.
#6) Symbols
Google loves blog posts that have high clickthrough rates in SERPs. If you have a high click through rate on your posts, you will be rewarded with higher rankings.
And one of the easiest ways to make your blog posts more visible in search is by using numbers but also symbols – things like &, #, or (brackets).
You can also use things like percentages: This New Product is 100% LEGIT.
And capitalized letters work great too.
Basically, whatever it takes to make your title tags look more engaging and clickable.
This is basically how you do non-clickbait clickbait title tags.
#7) What Is The Best [INSERT KW] For…
I hate “best product/service” posts. They’re boring to write, everybody does them, and while they are good for affiliate marketing, there are better ways to do it.
And one of my favorites is making it way more specific, so if you have an affiliate offer/product in mind, find a topic that relates to it and build a post around that word.
For instance, say you have a great bitcoin course affiliate offer.
You could then do a post using the following keywords: What is The Best Bitcoin Course For Learning How To Trade.
Or, What is The Best Phone For A Teenager?
Or, What is The Best VPN For Downloading Torrents?
They’re more specific, they don’t need to be as long to rank, and more often than not with these types of keywords you will find yourself turning up inside the People Also Ask boxes in Google.
You will also get more rich-snippets too. And rich snippets in Google are great for backlinks and traffic.
The more you can get the better. And the easiest way to get them is to target hyper-specific keywords using the modifier, What Is The Best [INSERT KW] For [INSERT TOPIC]
#8) How Long Do / Does [INSERT KW] Last…
If you’re lining up a new purchase. It could be a car, a phone, or a smartwatch. You probably want to know how long it will last, right?
Using the keyword modifier “How Long Do/Does [Insert Keyword] Last” is a great way of tapping into potentially hundreds of thousands of keywords and visitors a month.
This keyword modifier works in literally any niche and can be used against pretty much any keyword.
If you’re struggling for new ideas, go through some of the most popular products and/or services in your niche, find 10 of the most popular, and build out How Long Does [Insert Product] Last and see how you get on.
I guarantee you’ll see some big uplift in traffic and rankings.